Sciatic and femoral nerve block.

Abstract

One of the most useful yet most neglected anesthetic procedures is the combination of sciatic and femoral nerve block. The physician who treats a large number of diabetics or patients with minor or major accidental injuries of the legs will find this block most useful. The technique of a satisfactory sciatic-femoral nerve block is simple to master, and the procedure is almost free of complications, which makes it useful to the general practitioner as well as to the specialist. Sciatic-femoral nerve block has been neglected by most physicians for the following reasons: 1. Spinal (subarachnoid) analgesia is regarded as easier to master and less time consuming to perform, and the results are believed more predictable. 2. Poor results often occur from solely blocking the sciatic nerve for work on the foot. This is because the foot is partly supplied by the femoral nerve (see figure 10, variation). 3. In many